Dispensing container



July 14, 1942. E,k E BAKER 2,289,747

DI SPENS ING CONTAINER Filed May 1o, 1940 Patented July 14, 1942 UNITED STATLES orties DISPENSING CONTAINER.

Application May 1i), 1940, Serial No. 334,456

2 Claims'. (Cl. 2Z-162) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in dispensing containers, and more particularly to improvements in a dispensing container from which the contents thereof may be sifted or poured in bulk.

'In general, the invention contemplates the provision of a sheet metal container wherein the body portion is closed at one end thereof preferably by a friction closure which forms the end of the container. The opposite end of the body portion may be closed by an end which is seamed or otherwise suitably secured thereto. The friction closure end fits within and abuts against the inner surface of the body wall of the container and is provided with sifting openings near one `end thereof and with a relatively large pouring opening disposed inwardly of the sifting openings. A closure member in the form of a slide is provided for closing the dispensing openings in the container end. In one `dispensing position of the slide, the sifting openings may be exposed to permit sifting of the contents, while in another position of the slide, the sifting openings and at least a part of the pouring opening may be exposed to permit pouring of the contents inv bulk from the container.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the dispensing end of the container rits within the body portion in a position with the outer surface thereof substantially flush with the upper edge of the body wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein a closure member is mounted on the body portion for sliding movement in contact with the top surface of the dispensing end so as to prevent the accumulation of matter therebetween.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the body Wall is outwardly beaded at the top thereof for permitting the slidably mounting thereon of a closure member for controlling the dispensing openings in the dispensing end of the container.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type which is simple in construction and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the container of the present invention, showing in full lines the position of the sliding closure for dispensing the contents in bulk, and showing in dotted lines, the position of the sliding closure for sifting the contents of the container.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to Figure 2, but showing the sliding closure member in a, position closing the dispensing openings.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, the container is illustrated as including a substantially rectangular body lportion IIJ, although it is to be understood that the body p0rtion may be of any desired shape. This body portion is provided at the bottom thereof with a closuremember (not shown) which may be secured thereto by double seaming or the like. A

Atop closure member I I is in the form of a dispensing end portion which is tted within the top end yof the body wall. This closureY member Il includes a top horizontal portion I2 and a depend- 1 ing peripheral skirt portion I3 which rits within and preferably frictionally engages the inner surface of the body wall around the top end thereof.

Stop means in the form of inwardly extending lugs I4, or an inward shoulder, are provided on the body wall. The bottom edge of the skirt portion I3 of the closure I I abuts against the stop means so as to limit inward movement of the closure II relative to the body wall of the container. The skirt portion I3 and the stop means I4 are constructed and arranged so that the upper face of the top I2 of the closure Il is substantially flush with the top of the body wall II). The body wall Il] is provided with an outward bead I5 around the edge thereof, and the uppermost part of this bead is flush with the exposed upper face of the top I2 of the closure Il.

The top I2 of the closure member II is provided with a group of sifting openings I6 adjacent one edge thereof and with a relatively large pouring opening II spaced inwardly of the sifting openings. A closure member in the form of a slide I8 is provided at the sides thereof with depending flanges I9, Ilia which extend around and frictionally engage the bead I5 at the sides of the body wall of the container. Thus, the depending anges I9, I9a cooperate with the bead I5 at the sides of the body wall to slidably mount the closure member I3 on the body portion of the container. One end of the closure member I8 is also provided with a depending flange portion 28 which serves as a stop cooperating with the portion Ia of the bead I5 at the adjacent end of the container, to limit movement of the closure member I8 to its closed position covering the dispensing openings in the top of the closure member II.

The closure member I8 is provided with an elevated rib portion 2| which serves as a nger hold for shifting the closure member to its various positions. The closure member I8 is also provided with a depending shoulder 22 which extends into the pouring opening I1 and is movable therein as the closure member I8 is shifted relative to the container. As shown in Figure 3, the closure member I8 is in a closed position covering the sifting openings I6 and the pouring open- Y ing I'I, and in this position of the closure member I8, the depending flange portion 2l) ab'uts against the portion I5a of the bead I5, and the depending lug or shoulder 22 abuts against the forward edge I'Ia of the pouring opening I'I. When the closure member I8 is shifted to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, the sifting openings I6 will be exposed, thus permitting sifting of the contents of the container. When the closure member I8 is shifted to the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, the depending lug or shoulder 22 thereon will abut against the edge I1b of the pouring opening I'I and serve as a stop limiting further movement of the closure member I8. In this position of 'the closure member I8, the sifting openings I6 and also a part of the pouring opening I'I will be exposed to permit pouring of the contents of vthe container in bulk.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the upper exposed face of the closure member II is substantially flush with the top of the bead I5 on the body wall I 0, and the bottom face of the closure member I8 contacts with the upper face of the closure member I1 throughout the extent thereof so as to prevent accumulation of `matter between the two closure members and to While one form of the invention has been shown in the accompanying drawing for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing container comprising a body portion rolled outwardly at its upper end into a hollow bead, an end member lying substantially in a plane tangent to the extreme upper portion of the hollow bead and extending to the bead for closing the upper end of said body portion, said end closure member having sifting openings therethrough and a dredging opening therethrough, a flat slide for closing said sifting openings and said dredging opening, said slide contacting with the upper face of said end member and having the side portions thereof rolled beneath the hollow bead so as to slidingly connect said closure slide to the container body, means for limiting the movement of the slide when in closed position, and means for limiting the movement of the slide when in open position.

2. A dispensing container comprising a body portion rolled outwardly at its upper end into a hollow bead and having an inwardly projecting bead formed in the body wall a short distance below said hollow bead, an end member for closing the open end of the body portion, said end member having a depending skirt adapted to frictionally engage the inner surface of the body wall, said skirt being dimensioned so that when contacting with the inwardly directed bead in the body wall the closure portion of the end will be flush with the upper edge portion of the hollow bead, said end closure member having sifting openings therethrough and a dredging opening therethrough, a slide for closing said sifting openings and said dredging opening, said slide contacting with the upper face of said end member and having the side portions thereof rolled beneath the hollow bead so as to slidingly connect said closure slide to the container body, means for limiting the movement of the slide when in closed position, and means for limiting the movement of the slide when in open position.

EDWARD E. BAKER. 

